Jim Barry Shiraz The Mcrae Wood 2010

Jim Barry - Mount Lofty Ranges
- Australia
- Clare Valley

Professional Wine Reviews for Jim Barry Shiraz The Mcrae Wood 2010

Rated 92 by Robert Parker

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2010 The McRae Wood Shiraz has pleasingly vibrant black and blue fruits scents with a hint of mint, chocolate, and some rose plus smoky bacon accents. Medium to full-bodied with medium-firm, fine tannins, the palate is rich with a great fruit core and long finish. It is approachable now and will drink to 2022+.

Professional Wine Reviews for Jim Barry Shiraz The Mcrae Wood 2010

Rated 92 by Robert Parker

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2010 The McRae Wood Shiraz has pleasingly vibrant black and blue fruits scents with a hint of mint, chocolate, and some rose plus smoky bacon accents. Medium to full-bodied with medium-firm, fine tannins, the palate is rich with a great fruit core and long finish. It is approachable now and will drink to 2022+.

Rated 91 by Wine Spectator

Supple, expressive, powerful and elegant, with dill and kale overtones to the rich blackberry and plum fruit flavors, coming together seamlessly on the finish. Drink now through 2018. 100 cases imported.

Additional Information on Jim Barry Shiraz The Mcrae Wood 2010

Vintage: 2010

2010 saw extremely high quality viticulture in many parts of the world, with an exceptionally long and hot summer providing huge benefits for wineries across many countries, especially in the southern hemisphere. The northern hemisphere and Europe saw something of a cooler summer and flowering period, but this was by no means as disastrous as it could have been. France, especially, had a fantastic year in 2010, with the world renowned Burgundy region proclaiming that their white wines of this year are ones to look out for, and despite yields being relatively small across much of the country, the quality was exceptionally high. Spain, too, received some cooler weather, but Rioja and the rest of central Spain are hailing 2010 as a very good year indeed, again as a result of smaller, finer yields. California also received similar climatic conditions, but again, wineries are highly positive about the overall effect this had on their produce, as the slightly challenging conditions resulted in smaller yields of much elegance and distinction.
2010 was really Australia's year, and in South Australia and across the Mornington Peninsula, Chardonnay vines produced good yields with a lower sugar level than in previous years. As such, the majority of South Australian white wines from 2010 are superb, and packed full of character. Shiraz also had a great year, and most Australian wineries have been proclaiming 2010 one of the great vintages. Both the Argentinian and Chilean wine industries benefited from some ideal climatic conditions this year, and are reportedly ecstatically pleased with the fact that their 2010 wines ended up with lower alcohol levels, and were beautifully balanced wines packed full of flavor.

Varietal: Syrah

Known as Syrah in most countries around the world, and Shiraz in Australia and certain other regions of the New World, this grape varietal has proven over the centuries to be one of the most powerful and flavorful red wine grapes there is. It is now one of the planet's most widely grown grapes, and is a favorite with wineries as a result of its robustness and versatility. It isn't easy to identify many characteristics of this particular varietal, due to the fact that it is highly versatile and shows significant differences in flavor and character depending on the terroir it is grown in, and the climatic conditions of the region. However, Syrah is most widely associated with full bodied, strong and loud red wines, packed full of fruity and spicy flavors, held in a beautifully deep red liquid.

Country: Australia

Whilst most of Australia consists of arid deserts and dense bushland, the oceanic coasts to the south of the country have a terrain and climate ideal for vine cultivation and wine production. It took several decades of failed attempts at the end of the 18th century in order to produce vines of a decent enough quality for making wine, but since those first false starts, the Australian wine industry has continued to grow and grow. Today, wine production makes up for a considerable part of the Australian economy, with exports in recent years reaching unprecedented levels and even overtaking France for the first time ever. Whilst the greatest successes in regards to quality have been the result of the Syrah grape varietal (known locally as Shiraz), Australia utilizes several Old World grapes, and has had fantastic results from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Riesling, Chardonnay and more. As the Australian passion for locally produced wine continues to develop, wineries have begun experimenting with a wider range of grape varietals, meaning that nowadays it isn't uncommon to find high quality Australian wines made from Petit Verdot, Sangiovese, Tempranillo and Viognier, amongst many others.